Tension device for armature banding



Nov. 27, 1923 3,475,855

H. D. MURDOCK.

TENSION DEVICE FOR ARMATURE BANDING Filed May 24, 1921 WITNESSES: V INVENTOR 1 Henr D Murdock.

ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 27, 1923.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

' HENRY D. MURDOCK, OF WILKINSBURG. PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO WESTING- HOUSE ELECTRIC & MANUFACTURING VANIA.

COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYL- TENSION DEVICE FOR ARMATURE BANDING.

Application filed May 24,

Z '0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, IIENRY D. Monnoon, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of W'ilkinsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Tension Devices for Armature Banding, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in armature banding more especially to an apparatus for winding banding wire at a uniform tension on armatures of dynamo-electric machines.

Heretofore, it was customary to form banding wire on armatures to secure the ends ofcoils b unreeling the wire from a supply reel an applying tension thereto by various methods such as hanging weighted pulleys on the wire or applying tension with a lever. Such methods are injurious to the wire and do not indicate the amount of tension applied.

\Vith the ever increasing horsepower capacity of motors and generating machines it has become necessary to provide means for securing uniform tension on the banding wire, as the band is formed, to insure uniform stressing of the individual strands in accordance with given specifications.

My invention provides means for winding banding wire on armatures of dyamo-electrio machines which automatically controls the tension on the wire, it being among the objects thereof to provide an apparatus that shall be inexpensive to manufacture and easy to operate and that shall be capable of reducing changes in wire tension, during application, to a very small value.

It is a further object of this invention to provide an indicating device for gaging the tension of the band wire while being applied.

In practising my invention, I mount an armature in the usual manner to permit free rotation thereof in either direction. A reel of armature band wire is placed in alinement with the armature-end to be banded and the wire is fed through a plurality of guide wheels, some of which function as tensionmaintaining and slack-adjusting members. One of the guide wheels is mounted on the 1921. Serial N0. 472,193.

end of a piston rod extending from an air cylinder and actuated by means of fluid pressure in the cylinder, controlled by a reducing valve. The tension on the wire is further controlled by a series of brakes engaging a brake or tension drum. The required tension on the wire may be obtained by adjusting the air pressure in the main cylinder through the reducing valve. No adjustments are requiredv for different sizes of armatures, sizes of banding wire or speeds of handing. A pressure gauge is provided for indicating tension in pounds on the banding wire.

A more detailed description of the various parts and the operation of my device will be given below with the aid of the accompanying drawing, the single figure of which is a side elevational, partially diagrammatic, view of a tension maintaining device, showing the arrangement of the various parts. I

The armature 1 is rotatively mounted parallel to guide wheels 2 and 3 and a tension-maintaining and slack-adjustin wheel 4 which is mounted on the outer en of the piston rod 5 extending from the piston 6 in an air cylinder 7. The air cylinder 7 is provided with a safety valve 8 and is con 'nected to a supply pipe line 9, the end 10 of which leads to a source of fluid pressure (not shown). A pressure gauge 11 is connected in the pipe line 9 to indicate the pressure acting on the piston 6 and is calibrated to indicate tension on the wire in pounds. An air-reducing valve 12 and a two-way air cock 13 are connected between the cylinder 7 and the source of fluid pressure.

A T 14; is provided in the line 9 to form a connection with a pipe 15 leading to a main brake cylinder 16, having a piston 17, the rod 18 of which is secured to a brake shoe 19. The brake shoe 19 is carried by arm 20 that is pivoted at 21 to engage the tension drum 22.

An auxiliary brake shoe 23 has a pivotally mounted operating arm 24 that extends to the piston rod 5 to be enga ed by a pin or projection 25. The brake s 0e 23 engages t e drum 22 and is held in contact therewith by a calibrated spring 26. A sup- 'att '10 ply of wire 27, on the reel28, is mounted parallel to the tension drum 22. I

The operationof m device is briefly as follows: A suflicient ength of wire 2 to reach around the tension drum 22,- tensionmaintaining wheel 4 and guide wheels 3 and 2 to the'armature 1 isunreeled from the sup ly wheel28 and secured to the armature he end to be banded. The air gage 11 is set to indicate pounds pressure of tension desired on the wire 27 by adjusting the reducin valve 12. The safety valve 8 is adjuste to blow oil? a little above the indicated pressure.

The main brake '19 is designed to give most of the brakin efi'ect needed on the tension drum 22. I e balance of the braking power required is supplied by the auxiliary brake 23. The percentage oi the braking efiected .by the mam brake 19 1s maintamed for allva'lues of wire tension, as

the pressure on the brake. varies with the. air ressure inthe main cylinder. 5 I, p

T e armature 1 is rotatedand as the'tening and slack adjusting means'comprsing a sion drum is prevented from turning by the brakes 19 and 23, the tension wheel 4 moves graduall upward to release the brake 23 sufiicient y to allow the tension drum 22, to

supply wire to the armature 1 as rapidly-as isneeded. -When the armature is stopped for ad'ustment or at the completion of the operation the tension drum 22 will continue to feed wire until the slack-adjustment wheel 4 travels far. enou h to apply the auxiliary brake 23. If slac wire is needed, the two-way cock 13 is opened to exhaust air from the maincylinder.

It will be noted that all wire tensions required in banding armatures may be obtained by simply adjusting the air pressure in the main cylinder through the reducing valve. of the moving parts of the slack-adjusting and tension-maintaining devices is so slight as to be practically negligible. This, combined with the pneumatic cushion of the main cylinder, reduces the stress set up in the wire during the starting and stopping to a very small'part of the band-wire tension. I

From the above tion, it will be apparent that mp device provides an automatically control ed mechanical means for applying banding wire at a uniform tension, according to any given specification and that, by the use of such apparatus, the securing of the armature-coil ends so that they will be of the requisite mechanical strength is assured.

Although I have described a specific embodiment of my invention, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes may be made in the structure and arrangement of the various parts without departing from the principles herein set piston, a cy It will also be noted that the inertia description of my inven-,

forth. For instance, the guide-wheel members may be entirely eliminated or any number of them may be used. The armature and Suppl reels may be placed in any suit-.

able osition relative to the tension device.

I c aim as myinventione- 1. In a tension device for banding the ends of armature, coils, a tension-maintaining and slack ad'usting means comprising a wheel and a fluid-pressure actuated piston member-therefor. 7 1

2. In a tension vdevice forljbanding the ends of armature coils, a tension-maintaining andslack-adjusting-means comprising a wheel and an air-pressure-actuated piston member therefor. "l

3. In a tension device for banding the ends of armature coils, a tension-maintainingcand slack-adjustin means comprising a wheel, a su porting iston rod therefor, a piston, cy inder an mean for providing airv pressure in said cylinder.

4. In a tension device for banding the ends of armature coils, a tension-maintainwheel, a su porting piston rod therefor, a piston, a cy mder, means for providing air pressure in said cylinder and means for an tomatically regulating said pressure.

1-5. In --a .tension device for banding the ends of armature coils, a tension-maintaining and slack-adjusting means comprising a wheel, a supporting plston rod therefor, a

dicating and automatically regulating said pressure.

'6. In a tension device for banding the inder, means for providing air pressure in said cylinder and means for mends of armature coils, a tension maintaira ing and slack-adjusting means comprising a rotatable member and a fluidressure-actuated brake member engaging t e outer periphery thereof.

In a tension device for bandingthe ends a of armature coils, a'tension-maintaining and slack-ad usting means comprising a rotatable member and an air-pressure-actuated brake member engaging the outer periphery thereof.

8. In a tension device for banding the ends of armature coils, a tension-maintaining and slack-adjusting means comprising a rotatable drum, a fiuid-pressure-actuated main brake member and an auxiliary brake mfember engaging the outer periphery there- 0 9. In a tension device for banding the ends of armature coils, a tension-maintaining and slack-adjusting meansv comprising a slack-adjusting Wheel, a supporting fluidpressure-actuated piston and a tension drum having multiple brake control means.

10. In a. tension device for banding the ends of armature coils, a tension-maintaining and slack-adjusting means comprising a .0 linder having a piston connected to one of t e brake shoes and means for supplying fluid pressure to said air cylinders.

12. In a device for banding the ends of armature coils, a tension-maintaining and slack-adjusting means comprising a plurality of guide Wheels, a slack-adjusting Wheel, a supporting piston rod, a piston, an

air cylinder, a safety valve for said cylinder, a tension drum having a plurality of co-operating brake shoes, a second air cylinder having a piston connected to one of the brake shoes, a mechanical trip lever therefor, means for supplying fluid pressure to said cylinders, an indicating device connected Within the fluid supply circuit, a reducing valve and a two-Way cock for re lating and reversin \the flow of pressure uid,

13. Aianding machme comprising meansfor rotating the object to be banded; means for holding a supply of the banding material; a cylinder; :1 iston operating therein; means associated with the piston for regulating the tension of said banding material; and controllable means for admitting fluid under pressure to the cylinder to operate the piston.

14. A banding machine comprising means for rotating the object to be handed; means for holding a supply of handing material; a cylinder; a piston operating therein; means associated with the iston for regulating the tension of said banding material; means for controlling the feed of said banding mate-. rial from the holding means; means associated With the piston for operating said feed controlling means; and controllable means for admitting fluid under pressure to the cylinder ,to operate the piston.

15. A banding machine comprising means for rotating the object to be banded; a

cylinder; a piston operable Within said cylinder; a pulley associated with said piston and adapted to be linearly moved thereby; a second pulley mounted upon a fixed axis, said pulleys being adapted to receive a bight of the banding material; and means for feeding the banding material to said pulleys.

16. A banding machine comprising means for rotating the object to be handed; a cylinder; a piston operable Within said cylinder; a pul ey associated with said piston and adapted to be linearly-moved thereby a second pulley mounted upon a fixed axis, said pulleys being adapted to receive a bight of the banding material; and means controlled by the movement of said piston for feeding the banding material to said pulleys.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name this 29th day of April, 1921.

HENRY D. MURDOCK. 

